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Soviet Union
The Soviet Union, also refered to as the USSR, Socialist Eurasia, and Soviet Russia, was a large nation that covered much of Eastern Europe and northern Asia. The nation was formed (de facto) in 1917, and lasted until 2077, when the government collapsed due to internal strife and nuclear attack. After helping create the People's Republic of China, the two split over competing views of Socialism following a change of power in the Soviet Union. As the Sino-American rivalry intensified, the Soviets declared neutrality and focused on internal development and the Western portions of the superstate, but Chinese repression in Manchuria, Korea, and Japan, as well as American ultimatums in the Bering Sea made it difficult. When war broke out, the Soviets attempted to organize a settlement to share the oil in Alaska and cooperate on nuclear development. The deal was rejected. In the end, they attempted to stave off the Great War, only to be targeted by both sides. History The original Soviets were strike committees whose ability to organize strikes, popular appeal, and armed militias granted them de facto control of entire cities. In 1905, following a wave of defeats in the Russo-Japanese War, popular protests spread across Russia, resulting in the creation of the St. Petersburg Soviet. The uprising was suppressed and the Soviet exiled to Siberia, but the movement could not be stoped. To appease the Liberals and weaken the Soviets, Tsar Nicholas II agreed to the creation of an elected advisory council, but biased election rules and repeated dissolutions weakened the body. By 1917, the Soviet were back. Hardship created by war lead to bread riots in Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg), and the Soviet was recreated under the leadership of Trotsky. The Tsar abdicated and the Duma formed a Provisional Government. Within 6 months, it was clear the Government couldn't provide the needed reforms, and the Soviets, lead by the Bolsheviks, seized power throughout Russia. A long and brutal Civil War lead to great hardship, but Lenin and Trotsky, the leaders of the Soviet Revolution, managed to keep the regime afloat. That all changed with Lenin's death in 1924. Stalin came to power, and marginalized what was left of the Soviets. This period came to be knows as the First Soviet Thermidor. Trotsky, long held as Lenin's successor, was exiled. In 1940, he went into hiding after a failed assassination attempt, but continued to lead the sometimes violent opposition to Stalin, and constantly called for a World-wide Proletarian Revolution. They organized resistance and mass strikes across Europe, including in the Union. During the Great Patriotic War, the Trotskyist implemented a partial cease-fire. They tried to avoid disrupting the war effort, but continued to organize and propagate their ideas. They also worked inside the German occupied areas, and even Germany itself, to undermine the Nazis. They spread word of the Concentration Camps and even convinced the guards in one to mutiny. The imprisoned Jews and communists were armed, the officers executed, and a Commune declared before the Nazis retook the Camp. Savage bombings, secretive assassinations, and public executions of Nazi officials by the German Bolshevik Underground terrified the Nazi regime, as well as Stalin, and helped give the impression that the Trotskyists could fight Nazism better than Stalin. In 1947, Red Army soldiers evangelized by the German Trotskyists imprisoned their officers and staged elections. The 2nd Soviet Revolution had begun. Soviets returned to activity, a general strike rippled across the nation, and Trotsky returned from exile. Within a year, Stalin abandoned ship and fled to Siberia. From there he tried to arrange foreign asylum until his assassination. Trotsky began reforming the Soviet economy. Bureaucracy was cut and democratic election of managers was allowed for the first time since the Civil War. Single Party rule ended, though none of the new parties dared question the basic principles of the new revolution, as that would have been electoral suicide. An industrialization program of similar scale to the previous 5 year plans was launched, with a focus on improving the productivity of Russian industry. Subsidies and trade between the city and country raised living standards in rural areas, as forced collectivation ended (though idealistic young veterans continued to organize cooperatives). German specialists and working class organizations allowed for a breakthrough in democratic organization of production, and Trotsky passionately praised the coming of true socialism to Russia. But trouble stirred yet again. American and British troops lined up on the border. The Red Army, still recovering from WWII and in the midst of major reforms, wasn't ready to fight again. Trotsky died in 1954, before the war came. In 1955, a revolt in Finland lead to its incorporation into the USSR, spuring an attack. Alyona Volkova, Trotsky's successor, was not ready to fight a war. East Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria were forcefully united with the western part of Germany, and Yougoslavia devolved into chaos. The peace deal she signed in 1959 recognized the reunification of The Great German Union and involved economic concessions in Poland, as well as limits to Soviet forces in the Balkans. The USSR was allowed to keep Finland, as the Finish Army had lead the only successful campaign of the war, driving the capitalists out of the northern half of Sweden and Norway. Volkova tried to distract from the failed war with domestic reforms. Her educational programs made Russia a hub of engineering. Soviet-trained scientists were paid millions by foreign companies to join their R&D teams, though the practice was highly illegal in the USSR. Alyona patronized a wide range of sciences, from genetics and biology to rocketry. One of her favorite technologies was nuclear power. She also created a nuclear arsenal in case of a future war, but secretly confided that she would never fire them, even if Moscow itself was nuked. Beginning under Trotsky in the 50s, the Soviet Union had come into an ideological conflict with the People's Republic of China. The later's invasion of Tibet, political repression, multiple failed policies in the treatment of peasants, persuit of a large nuclear arsenal, and tolerance of private industry convinced the Soviets that Mao was just another imperialist. Volkova considered cutting ties with the nation, but concluded that doing so would clear the way for Western Imperialism and leave the Union economically isolated. In 1961, following a visit to North Korea, she concluded that Maoism was even worse than Stalinism, and she proposed an annexation of Mongolia to protect them from China. China, fearful of the growing rivalry, threatened to purge all Soviet sympathizers within their ranks if Russia strengthened ties with their northern neighbor. This lead Alyona to consider a partition of Mongolia, but the Khan Soviet (the joint organization representing both the cities and the nomads), declared the proposal to be unacceptable. They didn't have enough land as it was, and dividing it in half would ruin the pastoral way of life. The Khan Soviet demanded a guarantee of independence and arms contributions from both sides. China and the USSR both agreed, hoping they would soon gain control of the soviet electorally and be able to militarily suppress the other side. The Trade Unions agreed to a tactical voting agreement to maintain an independent majority in the Soviet, keeping the Maoists, Stalinists and Trotskyists each at less than 1/5 of the body. In the 70s, the Red Army intervened in the Turkish Civil War to keep the Bosphorus Strait open, resulting in the 1972 takeover of Constantinople, to the delight of the East Orthodox Church. When the Hagia Sophia was declared to be the headquarters of the Constantine Commune, rather than being handed over to the church, as they had requested, the Patriarch called for a violent revolt to reinstall the monarchy. This lead to him being shot, along with other monarchist clergymen, and a democratic system of councils mirroring the Soviets installed to direct the church. Those angered over the the Soviet's 'liberation' of the church moved to Poland, joining the growing number of anti-Soviet conservatives, convicts, counter-revolutionaries, and former Stalinists. In 1978, Alyona announced during an American press conference that strikers had been executed at a Polish tank factory. Under the Treaty of 1959 Poland was supposed to disclose all weapon production. Seeing the responselessness of Western leaders, she realized that they had already known. The Soviet Union was under threat once again. Hastily negotiating, Volkova, backed by the threat of a general strike, convinced world leaders to remove all troops from Poland. War was averted, until a Soviet diplomat/Chinese double agent convinced workers to revolt in Warsaw, promising Red Army backing. When the government responded violently, Alyona reluctantly agreed to send in troops. At the last moment, Europe and America acquiesced, following a major economic collapse, and Poland was transformed into an independent Soviet Republic in 1979. The following year, to prevent Soviet expansion and another economic collapse, the European Commonwealth was created. Alyona Volkova was assassinated in 1982, having added Finland to the Union and having installed a socialist government in Poland, but also having presided over a breakdown of relations with China and a collapse of socialism in Central Europe and the Balkans. The Soviet Union, however, was in better shape than ever. Millions of European refugees had swelled the population, and democracy was a way of life. Anyona and Trotsky were later viewed as the greatest leaders the Union had ever known. Unfortunately, the golden age soon ended. Alona's assassination, secretly organized by Gosplan chairman Grekov Mikha, began the 2nd Soviet Thermidor. The National Unity Party proposed him as the new Chairman of the Council of People's Commisars, hoping he could restore order and defend the nation. The Congress of Soviets agreed and gave him extra powers to prevent a feared reactionary uprising. In 1984, Russian nationalists rose up in Poland, and rather than help the Soviet government, he sent supplies to the rebels. In 1984, when an investigation found that he had planned his predecessor's killing, he accused the judiciary branch of counter-revolutionary corruption and disbanded most of the nation's courts. Fearing it would impeach him, he refused to call the next Congress of Soviets. Delegates came anyway, only to be exiled to Siberia. Seeing the collapse of the Soviet system, several military units staged a coup against him, accompanied by strikes, but he bribed many officers and officials, convincing them to take disciplinary control of their factories and units in exchange for political power and wealth. Mikha's officers killed over 10 million in a terror campaign designed to destroy all opposition and crush the morale of the working class. Democratic control of the army, followed by industry, was abolished by 1990. He annexed Poland and adopted a new constitution abolishing the Soviet System in favor of a centralized parliament and strong executive. Grekov Mikha died in 1994, and was replaced by several competing factions of corrupt bureaucrats, none ever gaining power for more than a few years at a time. The Soviet Union didn't have any clear leader until 2036. Mikhail Voinovich had spent 20 years gathering a coalition of politicians, foreign business leaders, and heads of various Soviet industries. In 2035, he finally got all the major media moguls on his side, and easily won the presidency on a vague reform platform. His reform proposals, when finally announced, horrified the population. Capitalism returned, bringing Russia back over a century. Rumors spread that Voinovich had his advisors call him 'Nicholas III.' Relations with America improved, as US companies paid billions for newly privatized state enterprises, and the two began working together to control China, both sanctioning the People's Republic for its annexation of Cambodia. 2042 brought another leadership change, this time with Pyatosinobovich being elected as president. He was a classic American-style statesman, keeping his corruption and disdain for his voters hidden, and focusing on photo-ops and token measures. Recognizing the threat of nuclear war, he invested in a bunker behind the Urals, a secret military station under Moscow (D6), and more nuclear weapons. His term ended in 2048, and he decided not to run, saying that his daughter had cancer, and couldn't serve the nation in his fullest capacity (this was later found to be false, sparking a major scandal). His successor was Lilina Omelch, an agricultural oligarch from Ukraine. She presided duringer the Euro-Arab war of 20, and launched air strikes against Middle Eastern oil fields in response to (fictional) attacks on the Caucus, increasing Europe's reliance on Russian oil. The Omelch Administration also invested in military robotics in case of future conflict. In 2060, the oil fields ran dry in the Middle East. European demand skyrocketed, but she was forced to cut the supply when reports showed the Caucus oil fields running dry within a decade. Lilina also invested heavily in nuclear power to prepare Russia for the inevitable end of the Oil Age. She implemented extreme oil rationing, leading to an economic downturn. Kalagin Yakovich won the 2060 Election. The oil crisis had pushed unemployment up to 51%, halted bread shipments to the cities, immobilized the army, and created a civil war along Russia's western neighbors. He promised to use his near monopoly on the oil industry and business prowess to end the crisis, but he could do nothing more than subsidise nuclear fuel companies, and their products were worthless, as there wasn't enough oil to get the fuel to the reactors. He doubled oil prices and blocked the nationalization of his oil trust, transferring trillions from the treasury into his own pockets. As riots spread, he imported nuclear powered trucks and tanks from America, using ten to suppress rebellions in Poland and Ukraine. 2062 brought the end of his reign. Protesters in Leningrad lynched the regional head of the oil trust, and he sent in troops, who joined the rebels. The revolt spread to Moscow, and he called in mechs to crush (literally) the dissenters. Originally the rebels had no ideology, but when the remaining workers went on strike the famous spectre of communism returned. Russia disintegrated into local communes as the railways fell silent. Kamchatka and most of Siberia were cut off from the cities, and entered a rural barbarism unseen sense before 1917. The Soviet Union awoke from the Thermidor in 2063, with the creation of a new Soviet Government. All major companies were nationalized, and minor enterprises fell under the control of the local Soviets. The first 5 year plan focused on transportation, and stoped the breakdown in communication that some feared would create a new feudalism. A nuclearized fleet of trains reawoke the Siberian mines, which poured out uranium in previously unfathomable proportions. The disintegrated ended, but the Union was still in grave danger. In 2064, China capitalized on the chaos to seize Vladivostok and several other ports, as well as invade Mongolia and the Sikho Te-Alin Mounta. The Soviets, lead by General Vladimir Konstalyeanov, counterattacked, but ultimately had to accept defeat. After surrendering the territory and several bases in Kamchatka over to the Maoists, he turned his attention to Europe. Vladimir seized control of Poland, stabilizing it with a ruthless dictatorship and stemming the tide of refugees into Soviet Russia. Despite the repressive government, people continued to flock there from further west. Konstalyeanov eventually extended the Soviet Extraordinary Occupational Area south into Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, then created a thin rim of civilization around the Black Sea, and began trade with the New Roman Empire and the Glass Caliphate. Two years later, the Sino-American war began. The threat of nuclear annihilation was now painfully obvious. The Soviets offered to share their uranium stockpiles and nuclear technology with the other nations, if they agreed to split the oil 3 ways. When their offer was rejected, they resubmitted the proposal, excluding themselves from the division of oil. America counteroffered, and offered 10% of the oil for assistance against the Chinese. However, the Chinese controlled Anchorage at the time, and the Soviet army was in disarray. They rejected the offer. In 2069 the Chinese seized large sections of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The Soviets put up a good fight, but were forced to retreat. A counter offensive backed by Polish mercenaries finally rooted the invaders, but the damage they had done to the rails, combined with the looting of mines and warehouses, dealt a major blow to the Red Army. Before they had fully retaken the line, the Chinese offered to withdraw, as long as the Soviets kept their uranium out of American hands. Desperate to stay out of the war, they agreed. Only afterwards did they discover that the Americans had also been fighting the Chinese troops in Siberia, and held some of the most lucrative mines. The assault on the 2nd Polar Bear Expedition was costly, largely because of the advanced Power Armour used by US troops, but soon they agreed to head south, also taking with them the fruit of Soviet labour. By 2071, the Siberian Front was finally closed. Vladivostok was still disputed territory, and Mongolia was a scene of constant conflict between locals, Chinese, and American troops. The Soviets abandoned Kamchatka and the Bering Sea coast to the Chinese, and the Americans smuggled supplies from the Arctic to Gobi through Russian territory. 2077 brought the final battle of the Sino-American War: a 2 hour nuclear exchange that ended all remaining nations. The Soviet Union was hit by both China and America, who each believed the USSR was secretly aligned with the enemy. The radiation forever transformed the landscape of the USSR, creating new beasts and biomes. For 20 years Russia was locked in a nuclear winter, which prevented the government from regaining control until it was too late. The largest group of survivors were Muscovites who hid in the Metro. They received only clues and cryptic messages to suggest that others survived, and many believed that they were all that remained of humanity. In the early 19th century, Tsarist Russia joined the 'War to End All Wars'. They found it a harsh nightmare, where young men are slaughtered for a cause they don't believe in, workmen starve while the rich grow fat, and the inherent social conflicts of capitalism become unbearable. Thus they set out on a brave journey, a struggle to free humanity from its own limitations, and when some resisted, they fought. Red verses White, in the final struggle. They fought war after war, longing for the day when the enemy would turn around and join them, and they would fight no more. It wasn't their greed, hatred, or violence that destroyed them. No. Their fatal vice was the inability to learn that war... War never changes. Post-War The Post-War Soviet Union is a harsh place. Already suffering greatly before the war, some citizens barley noticed it. Siberia was untouched, but over time new mutants came in. Mammoths, originally created to assist the Red Army in arctic operations, are now a common sight. The population slowly declined due to famine and the harsh forces of nature, leading many to seek a nomadic life. Elephants and Reindeer alike now provide food for these herders. Watchers and Nosalises spread across Central Russia. The Dark Ones, a project of the Omelch government, and which were hidden so well even the Soviet government was unaware of their existence, were awoken, and terrorized Moscow. In the Western regions, radiation killed all humans above the surface, leaving alive only those who hid in the great tunnels beneath the cities. The Bering Sea is now impassable, due to excessive radiation, naval mines, and other traps designed to prevent an American invasion. The Extraordinary Occupational Area, along with the rest of Europe, faced both the nuclear holocaust and the European Commonwealth's bioweapons, and finding even a feudal level of civilization is an accomplishment. Ukraine was irradiated especially bad, and the soil poisoned to prevent the return of civilization. Crimea was the last civilization in the region, surrounded by a toxic sea, and facing wave after wave of mutants from its only connection to the mainland. Category:History